Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Happy Birthday Plums!
I shall have Alan Cumming oiled and brought to your tent...
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I shall have Alan Cumming oiled and brought to your tent...
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Monday, February 23, 2004
I have a lovely new winter coat. It is the colour of mushy peas, which is apt, as my hair is the colour of gravy.
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Wednesday, February 18, 2004
So wonderfully, wonderfully, wonderfully, wonderfully pretty...
So, the Brits were still fairly dull despite the reintroduction of alcohol. Only two good things: Gwen Stefani's fabulous red tuxedo-style catsuit with bellbottoms and trailing bustle, and the half-arsed rendition of Lovecats by Jamie Cullen and Katie Melua reminding me how fab the original was.
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So, the Brits were still fairly dull despite the reintroduction of alcohol. Only two good things: Gwen Stefani's fabulous red tuxedo-style catsuit with bellbottoms and trailing bustle, and the half-arsed rendition of Lovecats by Jamie Cullen and Katie Melua reminding me how fab the original was.
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Saturday, February 14, 2004
'I'm through with love hangovers
It's best that I stay sober
No rolling in the clover
No Gretna Green to Dover
No honeymoon in Paris
I only feel embarrassed for the
Cool cats
The charmed kittens
Both smitten by the love songs that he's written
Caught in the sights of a
Deadly sniper
The magic piper of love...'
Edwyn Collins
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It's best that I stay sober
No rolling in the clover
No Gretna Green to Dover
No honeymoon in Paris
I only feel embarrassed for the
Cool cats
The charmed kittens
Both smitten by the love songs that he's written
Caught in the sights of a
Deadly sniper
The magic piper of love...'
Edwyn Collins
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Tuesday, February 10, 2004
I am exhausted and CROSS. My back is really hurting and the ibuprofen I've been prescribed for it is giving me acid which is making me gag. So I'm shovelling Rennies down me too. My feet hurt and my excema has given me splits and cracks all over my hands, which makes washing, picking things up and doing crazy stuff like eating salted crisps real fun. I really wasn't in the mood to be navigating the V&A Museum.
The V&A (no link cos the site's so Flash-heavy it'll crash your PC) is a treasure house of WONDERFUL things. I know and appreciate this fact. I was there today for the launch of a fantastic exhibition, which I'll talk about later. But having stood for two hours already (note to press office: provide chairs) it was perhaps unwise of me to attempt to find other far-flung parts of the building - particularly the Jewellery Gallery. First, you have to spend some time with the not-entirely-intuitive V&A visitors map - this eventually reveals that you need to be on the 3rd floor. So, let's find a staircase or a lift. BUT: it's not that simple. Not all staircases go to all floors. After some hiking about (and a stop-off at the Fashion Gallery to look at the wonderful Ossie Clark display) I eventually I found one, and ascended.
Now in Ironwork, I walked the length of the building again trying to find Jewellery, only to find that the bit of 3rd floor I was on isn't connected to the bit of 3rd floor I was after. So, downstairs, along a bit and upstairs again... down the side of the building, through Textiles and... Jewellery! But there are steel barriers stopping you going in from one direction - I only found this out after being watched trying to get in by a silent gallery steward. When I turned to her questioningly she just said, 'You have to go in the other end.' So back through Textiles and at last, I got there. And it was worth it. It's a stunning collection - jewels you'll not believe exist. Expensive stuff, ancient stuff and even modern costume jewellery. Intricate, inventive, breathtaking... I need to learn some metalwork skills!
And I did get a little nostalgic over all. Walking through Fashion, picking my way through crowds of students sitting on the floor, drawing the same dresses I'd drawn ten years previously. Sniffing the air in Textiles - dust, carpets, old lace. Spotting old friends in Jewellery - the Slim Barrett tiara, the earrings made from pencil shavings - and remembering how over-the-top I was about recording allmost every item in my sketchbook - afraid of missing something which might prove important for college. These days I'm more selective, or just have less patience. But am still unavoidably drawn to sparkly things...
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The V&A (no link cos the site's so Flash-heavy it'll crash your PC) is a treasure house of WONDERFUL things. I know and appreciate this fact. I was there today for the launch of a fantastic exhibition, which I'll talk about later. But having stood for two hours already (note to press office: provide chairs) it was perhaps unwise of me to attempt to find other far-flung parts of the building - particularly the Jewellery Gallery. First, you have to spend some time with the not-entirely-intuitive V&A visitors map - this eventually reveals that you need to be on the 3rd floor. So, let's find a staircase or a lift. BUT: it's not that simple. Not all staircases go to all floors. After some hiking about (and a stop-off at the Fashion Gallery to look at the wonderful Ossie Clark display) I eventually I found one, and ascended.
Now in Ironwork, I walked the length of the building again trying to find Jewellery, only to find that the bit of 3rd floor I was on isn't connected to the bit of 3rd floor I was after. So, downstairs, along a bit and upstairs again... down the side of the building, through Textiles and... Jewellery! But there are steel barriers stopping you going in from one direction - I only found this out after being watched trying to get in by a silent gallery steward. When I turned to her questioningly she just said, 'You have to go in the other end.' So back through Textiles and at last, I got there. And it was worth it. It's a stunning collection - jewels you'll not believe exist. Expensive stuff, ancient stuff and even modern costume jewellery. Intricate, inventive, breathtaking... I need to learn some metalwork skills!
And I did get a little nostalgic over all. Walking through Fashion, picking my way through crowds of students sitting on the floor, drawing the same dresses I'd drawn ten years previously. Sniffing the air in Textiles - dust, carpets, old lace. Spotting old friends in Jewellery - the Slim Barrett tiara, the earrings made from pencil shavings - and remembering how over-the-top I was about recording allmost every item in my sketchbook - afraid of missing something which might prove important for college. These days I'm more selective, or just have less patience. But am still unavoidably drawn to sparkly things...
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Thursday, February 05, 2004
Grainne Morton
Speaking of artists whose work I immediately fall for... whilst at the Crafts Council last night for the launch of Boys Who Sew (more on that later) I wandered into the shop and spotted jewellery by Grainne Morton. Grainne (pronounced Gronya, Grahn-yuh or Graw-nyuh according to which website you consult - my knowledge of Gaelic pronunciation is pretty shoddy) produces beautiful, unusual jewellery with found objects and a bit of silversmithing magic. Anyone who knows me (and my handbag) will see why I'm drawn to this stuff - it's like what I try to make but a hundred times more skilful! Look at her button charm bracelet - I ask ya! And the bracelet with all the different charms! It's lovely stuff, and not overpriced considering the work which goes into it. Still out of my price range though, sadly. Still, I'm 30 in December, so... Daaa-aaaad? See more of Grainne's fantastic work at the Velvet Da Vinci site.
Speaking of artists whose work I immediately fall for... whilst at the Crafts Council last night for the launch of Boys Who Sew (more on that later) I wandered into the shop and spotted jewellery by Grainne Morton. Grainne (pronounced Gronya, Grahn-yuh or Graw-nyuh according to which website you consult - my knowledge of Gaelic pronunciation is pretty shoddy) produces beautiful, unusual jewellery with found objects and a bit of silversmithing magic. Anyone who knows me (and my handbag) will see why I'm drawn to this stuff - it's like what I try to make but a hundred times more skilful! Look at her button charm bracelet - I ask ya! And the bracelet with all the different charms! It's lovely stuff, and not overpriced considering the work which goes into it. Still out of my price range though, sadly. Still, I'm 30 in December, so... Daaa-aaaad? See more of Grainne's fantastic work at the Velvet Da Vinci site.
Susie MacMurray
Doing my daily trawl of museum press pages, I came across the Susie MacMurray exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery. Their website only has a photo of her Flock installation, but there are good pictures of her pink balloon dress on a private gallery's site here. Her own website has fantastic photos of her stunning installations and multiples, mainly built with feathers or feathers. Those woven balloon pieces look irrestible. I'd have to sit there squidging the surface with my fingers. (Perhaps I should keep that to myself...) I just love it when hear of someone I hadn't heard of before whose work really pops my cork!
Doing my daily trawl of museum press pages, I came across the Susie MacMurray exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery. Their website only has a photo of her Flock installation, but there are good pictures of her pink balloon dress on a private gallery's site here. Her own website has fantastic photos of her stunning installations and multiples, mainly built with feathers or feathers. Those woven balloon pieces look irrestible. I'd have to sit there squidging the surface with my fingers. (Perhaps I should keep that to myself...) I just love it when hear of someone I hadn't heard of before whose work really pops my cork!
Monday, February 02, 2004
David Shrigley
Found whilst checking train times for tomorrow's trip to Prescence at St. Paul's: David Shrigley's Billboard Commission for London Underground. I love David Shrigley's stuff. It's sharp and funny and surreal and often quite disturbing. I love that he can do all that with a drawing made in seconds. And I love his handwriting. I should start drawing again.
Found whilst checking train times for tomorrow's trip to Prescence at St. Paul's: David Shrigley's Billboard Commission for London Underground. I love David Shrigley's stuff. It's sharp and funny and surreal and often quite disturbing. I love that he can do all that with a drawing made in seconds. And I love his handwriting. I should start drawing again.
Sunday, February 01, 2004
So you've got a painful back problem, and your dear old dad emails offering what seems at first to be fatherly wisdom:
'Sorry you are still suffering - I suffered a very similar problem for months. When I sat down (then got up) there was a dull or sharp pain in the same area. Couldn't figure it out at all until, one day, I was looking at the seat cushion I have on my seat in the car and there was the problem - just where my bum hurt - a plastic snap-in connector which holds the cushion in place! I'd been sitting on it for months and not realising. So I moved it out of the way and it's fine now!'
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'Sorry you are still suffering - I suffered a very similar problem for months. When I sat down (then got up) there was a dull or sharp pain in the same area. Couldn't figure it out at all until, one day, I was looking at the seat cushion I have on my seat in the car and there was the problem - just where my bum hurt - a plastic snap-in connector which holds the cushion in place! I'd been sitting on it for months and not realising. So I moved it out of the way and it's fine now!'
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